Drake has officially decided to withdraw his legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, where he had previously accused the companies of conspiring to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us.”
In a surprising development in this legal matter, the Toronto artist and his company Frozen Moments filed a notice in New York on January 14, 2025, informing the court that they were retracting their request for information from the two companies, which had been part of a potential future lawsuit.
According to the filing, which HipHopDX reviewed, Drake and/or his representatives met with UMG and Spotify on January 14, 2025, to discuss this matter.
Spotify, which had initially opposed the petition, expressed “no objection to the withdrawal and discontinuance.”
UMG, which had not responded to Drake’s original petition, chose to “reserve its position.”
The withdrawal was made “without costs to any party,” as per the documents, but no specific reason for the decision was provided.
In November, Drake accused UMG (which also oversees his and Kendrick Lamar’s record labels) of using streaming bots and payola to manipulate the popularity of Kendrick’s diss track, “Not Like Us.”
The petition was not a formal lawsuit but a preliminary request to gather information to assess the viability of a full legal action.
UMG denied any wrongdoing, stating, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”
Spotify also denied any illicit activity, asserting they never engaged in any “deceptive practices” or made secret “arrangements” with UMG to boost “Not Like Us.”
A similar petition containing payola allegations against UMG and iHeartMedia in Texas is still active.
Drake has not publicly commented on his decision to withdraw the petition against UMG and Spotify, and Kendrick Lamar has not addressed the legal issue either.
A court hearing in the Texas case is scheduled for January 28, unless there is a settlement or withdrawal before then.
